Tag Archives: Charlie house chicken

I have been sitting on this one for many months. It happened during our Border-to-border walk this summer and I knew I had to put it on the backburner until we finished, otherwise I would lose it.

Some chickens mean more than others.

And then it was too painful to retrieve it so I just let it sit and sit unattended. But it’s time to confront this head on.

My beautiful, beautiful Black Copper Maran, Charlie died. She had been ill for a while. Something was affecting her nervous system and she had difficulty walking. She’d list to one side, fall down, and then we’d have to pick her up and set her on her feet again. One day she’d be okay, the next day she’d have her “drunk dance” back.

As she continued with her declining health, we tried a few things. I gave her physical therapy (a towel sling while she worked her legs.) We made sure that she always had food and water nearby so that she wouldn’t have to go far. I picked her up at the end of the day to place her in the safety of the coop each night.

During the heat wave, when it was brutal outdoors, every time I opened the door, there was Charlie waiting to scurry around my leg in order to come into the house. She knew that inside she’d find cool Pippin water, and if she pecked at the smaller pieces, she’d probably be able to eat a dog kibble or two. Continue reading →

I can’t tell you how much I love this chicken. This bird who after living in our house for 6 months has the temperament of a teen, the allegiance of a flock member, and the life enthusiasm of a puppy – all from the early imprint models she was exposed to in her youth.

When I let the flock out from the coop she always runs up to me and lets me stroke her chest (a downward motion with a flat palm never on her head.) Always.

Yesterday, after she had greeted me, she and a pal went off to the side of the yard to peck and scratch near our compost pile. Apparently something was in the wooded area that spooked them causing both girls to squawk and fly away from the perceived danger. Not only did Charlie escape the danger but when she heard me call out her name in alarm, she came running, limbs akimbo, half flying – half jumping. She wanted me – the big mama hen who would literally soothe her ruffled feathers and tell her that all would be well. That she was, once again, safe. Continue reading →

Charlie’s diaper arrived yesterday and we are going to spend the weekend trying it out and seeing how it works (you can count on pictures of this experiment!) She’s a lovely bird, it’s just that she just poops – a lot, and as it turns out the clicker training wasn’t the most effective method for her. (FYI 3 standard chickens will create about 5.5 pounds of waste a week. That’s a lot of poop!)

Most of our human flock is home this weekend (still missing you Logan), and we look forward to a joyous Easter celebration reminding us all that after the cold, harsh winter, we are now in the season of rebirth.

Movie Name: Horton Hears a Who! (2008)Katie: In my world everyone is a pony, and they all eat rainbows, and poop butterflies.

(Hey it was the only clean poop quote I could find 🙂

It’s the weekend, hoo-ray. It means we get to spend time with the kids (and I get to spend time driving them all over the place) and we get to play with Pippin, Charlie, and the rest of the flock. We are going to do several intensive “training” sessions with Charlie – my sister Peg: (“Hey sis”, in the comments) suggested I set a timer for 20 minutes and bring Charlie over to the pad when the timer goes off. While it sounds like a good idea, I fear that in the end, it is going to end up training *me* to go every 20 minutes.

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.

~Stacia Tauscher

I went to a local antiques shop and was able to find a veritable treasure trove of old Easter cards featuring various chicks. For the next few weeks leading up to Easter, I’ll be sharing these with you on my blog.

This weekend starts – Marc and Wendy’s Most Excellent Chicken Poop Adventure. Be prepared next week to learn far more about chicken poop than you ever thought you needed to know (and you better believe I’ll have photos). Hey, it’s how we roll here with our flock in New Hampshire.